BSA No1MkIII gone through FTR in 1953 |
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The Armourer
Senior Member Joined: June 23 2019 Location: Y Felinhelli Status: Offline Points: 1246 |
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Posted: January 22 2023 at 12:55am |
The "FTR 1953" is a BSA FTR marking for a non-UK government contract. Yes - it looks to be an NRF body but it does look to have a very 'clean and sharp' marking. It looks very 'fresh' compared to all the other markings. Remember that SSA / NRF rifles would actually be built using any component from the rifle pool and they are all 'bitsas'. It would not be impossible for NRF to assemble a rifle using a BSA body which was then 30 odd years later FTR'd by BSA. History of the 'peddled scheme' : Standard Small Arms was formed by
Mr S J Waring (later Lord Waring, 1860-1940) of the Waring & Gillow concern
,together with a Mr Peterson, who was a man of standing in the Birmingham gun
trade. They believed that the skills of the Birmingham gun trade were being
neglected and could be more fully utilised in the war effort than they were.
They planned to make all of the action and the nosecap, less magazines, screws
and pins, and organise eight small firms and a number of individuals in the trade
(probably outworkers, of whom a great many worked in the trade at that time).
The barrels were to be subcontracted to Westley Richards and the wood to be cut
by Waring & Gillow and Rudders & Payne (both these firms eventually
dropped out). They contracted to supply rifles at 75/- each, which was the same
price that BSA was paid. After a year or so it became apparent that the factory
would never produce complete arms and it was instructed to produce four items;
body with charger guide, bolt, bolt head and trigger guard. The company was to
produce 1500 sets of components a week, rising to 4,000 when new machinery was
installed. Other firms were contracted to produce less specialist items, the
sets of components being delivered to Enfield for assembly in the bayonet shop,
production of which was shifted to Wilkinsons and Sanderson Brothers &
Newbold. From the records of the ‘National’
factories : The National Factory Scheme In August 1914 the state-owned
ordnance factories were providing the Army with about a third of its weapons
and at this time there were only sixteen firms tendering for War Office
munitions contracts: WG Armstrong Whitworth & Co.
Ltd. Harper Sons & Bean Ltd. William Beardmore & Company Head Wrightson & Co. Cammell Laird & Company Kings Norton Metal Co. Coventry Ordnance Works The Projectile Co. (1902) Ltd. d**k Kerr & Company Rees Roturbo Manufacturing Co. The Electric & Ordnance
Accessories Co. Vickers Ltd. T Firth & Sons J & P Hill Hadfields Ltd. Watson Laidlaw & Co. The first few months of the
Ministry’s existence saw the establishment of an imposing group of national
factories so that by the end of December 1915, there were 73 new sites. The new
factories would be Government property and the armament firms were responsible
for the design, construction and to provide managers to run them as agents for
the Ministry. These were in addition to the Royal Factories conceded from the
War Office at Enfield Lock, Farnborough, Waltham Abbey and Woolwich. By the end
of the war, this array of national factories had increased, both in number and
in the variety of the products. Over 218 new or adapted factories .(so, for example as the Standard Small Arms
factory failed to achieve its targets it was ‘taken over’ by the Government
with the old SSA managing it) were in operation and covered not only every
kind of munitions, from cannon and aeroplanes to small-arms ammunition, but
also centres for the production of ball-bearings and concrete slabs. Birmingham NRF No.1 (Lench Street)
Management: Standard Small Arms
Company Ltd. Products: Farquahar-Hill automatic rifle. Notes: abandoned in
October 1918 before production started. Birmingham NRF No. 2 (Garrrison
Lane) Management: Standard Small Arms
Company Ltd. Products: Fraquahaer-Hill automatic rifle. Notes: abandoned in
October 1918 before production started. |
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Marco1010
Senior Member Joined: February 04 2020 Location: New Zealand Status: Offline Points: 400 |
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IF the NRF stamp is correct and was manufactured under the peddled scheme, then logic would say that if the BSA stamps were there from the start (so a BSA receiver made as part of the peddled scheme).
and then later undergoing FTR in 1953 in maybe India. Other option is that I have read that BSA did a non-military FTR contract in 1953, and maybe used surplus BSA parts then. lots of question marks.....
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A square 10
Special Member Donating Member Joined: December 12 2006 Location: MN , USA Status: Offline Points: 14452 |
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the NRF marking makes it a pedaled scheme for sure , how did you come to it being a BSA ?
the FTR is also quite clear and i would agree new barrel , still thinking in india ,
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Marco1010
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no sold out of service stamps, nor NZ issue numbers. So unlikely been in NZ army service.
An Indian Refurb seems a likely history. Appreciate any opinions anyone may have to contribute. The Suncorite is shabby, so pondering if to take it off completely , or just leave as is.
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Marco1010
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Marco1010
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Marco1010
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Marco1010
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Marco1010
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Shamu
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I'm wiith A Square I think Indian refurb. Pictures will give lots of information so E&OE
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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The Armourer
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Is the FTR marking something like "B53" ? BSA did not do any FTRs for the UK Military all of their FTRs were for 'private' sales to Foreign nations. |
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Marco1010
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I will give a clean and take some photos to post on the forum.
I suspect that there could be more markings lurking under the suncorite. Bore looks in good condition, so maybe a new barrel done at the FTR.
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A square 10
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without photos of what you have said ill agree with your thinking , peddled scheme , thinking refurb in india as the scrubbing is common to them , is it a mkIII or a mkIII* ??
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Marco1010
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I have just picked up a no 1 Mk III with matching numbers on bolt , rear sight, receiver, and barrel knox.
Receiver wrist has a BSA cypher, but appears to have been otherwise scrubbed of any older markings. Marked as as having gone through FTR in 1953 (in electro-pencil) on the forward left side of the receiver. I notice that on the rear left shoulder of the receiver its stamped NRF, so I understand this indicates it was maybe originally manufactured under the peddled scheme ???? It covered in suncorite paint which would be typical of the FTR in 1953. Is there anything I might have missed or should look for ? Came in sporter configuration, so likely I will return it to original fit-out as have 99% of the parts needed.
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